Monday, August 11, 2008

Adventure!

We left early Friday morning to go to Twin Falls, Idaho. Aaron's parents and his brother John and his family went with us. We arrived in Twin Falls in time for lunch. We had a picnic near Shoshone Falls.The kids liked seeing a bright rainbow at the waterfalls. Ethan told me it was one of the coolest things he has ever seen. After lunch, we went to the Twin Falls temple open house. I was pleasantly surprised how busy it was. There were a lot of people going through the temple that day. They were taking groups in every 5 minutes. The temple was gorgeous and every opportunity to take our kids inside the temple is well worth the trip.We then headed to our campsite. For 1/3 of the price of hotel we went camping at the local KOA. They had a pool, playground, mini golf course, and a pond with paddle boats. (Where can you get all that in a hotel?)We headed to my cousin Nicole's house for dinner. All all of her family was there and it was great seeing them again. The food was great! The kids loved the Foosball, dress ups, and play area.

We returned in time for a swim in the pool. That night a thunderstorm blew in. It was the first time it had rained in Twin Falls all summer and of course it's the one night we are out in tents. I just started laughing. (Sometimes that is really the only response). That night we laid all of our towels and swimming suits out so they would dry. It didn't work. The thunder, lightening, and rain woke up all the kids of course so, lets just say, none of us had a very restful night sleep but, we saved money, right.

The next morning we headed back across Idaho. We went through Carey, Idaho the birthplace of my Grandpa. It remains a small ranching community like it was back in 1910.

Next, we went on to Craters of the Moon. This is a national monument where Aaron's parents worked when they were first married. They seemed to enjoy being tour guides for their grandchildren.Craters was a lot of fun and I found it fascinating. I loved the stark contrast of the black rock with the green vegetation. This type of lava rock is called pahoehoe. (Can you tell that most of the study of volcanoes is done in Hawaii.) It is named for it's rope lie attributes. It is smooth and flowing.Another type of volcanic rock is called A' a. It is jagged and rough. We decided that is what you would say if you walked across it bare footed. (There is your little geology lesson for the day.)The grandparents/tour guides took us into a cave. I thought the people on trail to the cave with knee pads and lighted head gear were crazy until we were climbing through the dark cave over loose rocks. I realized those of us in flip-flops and shorts were the crazy ones. The cave just kept going
and going and going. It was more than I thought it would be and I really enjoyed it. How often do you climb through a cave? This was what it looked like above the cave as we returned to the main trail.Our final destination was in Rexburg, Idaho. We were able to see some of Aaron's cousins who we haven't seen for years. It was so nice to see how their families have grown. We were able to meet up with Aaron's brothers Jared and Mike & Melanie also. Jared was proud to give us a tour of the farm. He showed off on his new bike.Mike tried to ride the bike. You see that truck, well, he hit it and then the silo next to it. Mike claims the bike is hard to ride but when Esteban jumped on and started doing figure eights we were all doubting Mike's claim.The waterfalls, camping in a thunderstorm, the lava rock, the cave of all caves, and spending time with lots of family makes this weekend one big adventure.

(I wouldn't have it any other way. )

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